I rarely get riled up over sports. OK, I lied, but that happens mostly with NFL football and college football. For high school, I think I control myself well (My wife is snickering somewhere).
But this past week I found out that the Lady Trojans soccer team was disqualified for ineligible players (not related to grades). The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association stepped in and nullified a two-month season just before the playoffs.
To me, the whole deal sucks. I was livid. I wanted to storm the NIAA, but had second thoughts because I didn’t really want to be put on any watch lists. I really had enough anger to fuel my truck all the way to Reno and back.
I settled for a phone call, which calmed me a bit.
The assistant director of the NIAA, Donnie Nelson, told me that making Pahrump forfeit all its games was tough to do. I believe him, I get that. I also get that they have rules they have to follow.
Well, I am thinking those rules need some changes.
Perhaps I am just venting. Where should my anger be directed to?
Really at this point, I just feel for the girls. They worked hard and really did nothing wrong. Nothing. The coaches also. They did nothing wrong.
My anger right now is just floating in the air.
Maybe I can blow it in the direction of the rules. Why are they so unbending?
It’s hard to say where I am going with this. I think the whole process is at fault. Somewhere along the line something has to be tweaked to make things work better, and it needs to be done so situations like this don’t happen in the future so we don’t have to tell kids at the end of the year, “I am sorry, you worked hard, but all your work was for nothing.”
I think I still need to stuff some poor guy in a garbage can. That’s the testosterone in me speaking. It’s a guy thing.
I am telling you now, this system is not working now for the kids. Not if this happened so late in the season. There is nothing that justifies that.
I had parents asking me, do my kids still get their letters? What about stats for colleges that want goals scored and those kinds of stats?
I don’t have those answers. I imagine the school will honor the letters earned. As far as the stats? I think the coaches will have those still.
For now, I will sit on my anger.
That being said, I want to thank Julie Carrington and her assistant coaches, Sarah Kent, Rose Niles and Nick Fletcher for making a difference. The team finished in third place and were set to go to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Nobody can take that away from the team.
And thanks girls for a great season. It was fun watching all of you.
Contact sports editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes